Lie to Me
by Baby Kitty
Summary: Hayley and Tommy talk about life, death, and how they met. [complete]


Disclaimer – I own nothing.

Author's Notes – I always sorta wondered how Hayley and Tommy met and just what their relationship was. So here's a lil Hayley/Tommy piece which is really more of a brother and sister relationship then romantic. 

Set right after 'Fighting Spirit'. Basically that night when everything is settled down and the kids have gone home. Just a pointless little snippet. 

Summary – Hayley and Tommy talk about life, death, and how they met. 

-o-

Lie to Me

Tommy

-o-

"You know I think I changed my mind on that whole wanting to be a vampire thing. Not being able to see yourself in a mirror really does suck." Hopping down the last few steps and more then a little relieved to have had a shower and be in a new set of clothes, I swear if I never have to use that invisibility power again I will die a happy man. 

Leaning back on the couch and still picking at the Chinese food we'd ordered an hour ago, Hayley does not seem to be sharing in my good mood. "We had that discussion back in college. How can you remember a five year old conversation when you can't remember where you put your car keys?" I have a selective memory. 

"It was a good discussion." Dropping down beside her and grabbing one of the still half full cartons, I guess the kids decided not to wait around after being feed. Teenagers. "Kids go home?"

"Yeah."

"Good they need some rest." Not to mention they were kind of getting on my nerves with all the fussing over my near death experience. I know they mean well, but you know nearly dying, not something you want to dwell on. "Want the last eggroll?"

Shaking her head and still looking for all the world like she'd lost her favorite pet, the woman is bringing me down here. 

"What's wrong? Not even a smile?" Another head shake and okay now I'm concerned. Hayley is one of the few people who can out talk me and this quiet treatment isn't gonna fly. Putting the food back on the coffee table, I give her my undivided attention. "Hales? Hey, what's up, time to celebrate. We survived another huge crisis, world didn't end, no one died, praise the higher powers and break out the drinks."

"You almost died Tommy." Yeah well that's not exactly anything new. 

Giving her a shrug, I refuse to be brought down from my high of still being alive and visible again. "I almost die every week."

"Not because of me." Ah, so that's what this is about. Right than, changing tactics. 

Laying a hand on her arm, I don't like how tense she is. "Hayley-"

Shaking me off, she isn't going to hear it. "I knew it wasn't safe Tom. We should have tested it further, or on a monkey or something." Oh come on now that's just…a monkey? Huh, could we get a monkey? I bet Mercer has monkeys in some of those labs of his. Hey maybe we could get Trent to steal- I mean liberate one. 

"Now that's just silly, where would we have gotten a monkey on such short notice?" Raising my hands as her look turns from distressed to venomous in a second flat, I guess I better wait to tell her about my liberation idea. "Hayley I'm fine, you know me I'm like the freaking Energizer Bunny I just keep going and going and going."

"Aren't you the least bit concerned that you nearly died?" Clearly not as much as you. Okay, let's think about this. She's not a Ranger, she's never actually been around me when I've been an active Ranger before now, so it's understandable that she's distressed by this.

"No, because I'm alive. If I wasn't then it'd probably be on my list of concerns. Hales I know I scared you, I'm sorry, I am so sorry and I promise to never do it again, but I'm used to it by now. In my Ranger career I've been shot, stabbed, stripped of powers, had my life force drained, been beaten, kicked, smacked, bitten, poisoned, kidnapped more times then I care to remember, and nearly drowned. Being put in a coma really doesn't faze me all that much." If anything I actually feel quite rested. 

"Well it fazes me. Seeing you lying there like that, unable to help, it fazes me a hell of a lot." Oh Hales. Moving to hug her, I'm abruptly shoved back. "And don't you give me that look! That 'oh poor Hayley she just doesn't understand that I accepted I'm going to die young a long time ago' look. Because I don't care if you accepted that or not, because I didn't! You're one of the few friends, hell family I have and I will not sit back and watch you die!" Crap. 

Okay I don't care if she stabs me with the chopsticks she's getting hugged and that's the end of it. "Hales, shh, it's okay. It's gonna be okay." Finally succeeding in pulling her into my arms, I still don't understand why she's this upset. I'm alive, I'm fine, Katherine never got upset like this. Hell even Kim didn't get upset and I nearly died on her way more then Hayley! 

Face buried into my neck, she is truly a wreck and I still don't get why. "I don't want to bury anyone else I love." Oh man, so that's it.

"I know." Or at least I should have. How did I not see that? How could I forget something as serious as that? 

"Don't die." Hot tears soaking my collar, she's in for a world of pain if she thinks I can make that promise. I honestly can't even promise the kids they'll live to see eighteen and Dark Spector doesn't even have a hit out on them. 

"Okay." 

Giving a snort, she smacks me weakly. "Idiot." Yes well, would you prefer I tell you the truth?

Giving her a smile and carefully brushing the wet trails off her cheeks, I'm suddenly reminded of the brassy little seventeen year old I saved all those years ago. "I'm sorry."

Smile suddenly faltering as she knows I'm no longer referring to the coma, her answer is steady, but still heart breaking. "Don't be. You did your best."

"I let them die." Her parents, her sister, all of them died because I couldn't stop Gasket's monster in time. She lost her whole life at the age of seventeen because I wasn't fast enough in getting them out of that building before it collapsed. 

"You saved me." Barely. And only then because I broke the rules and took my helmet off to give her CPR. It's amazing that beam didn't puncture her lung. Even more so that I managed to bring her back with only mouth to mouth. 

"Yeah who woulda thought those CPR classes would have come in handy." I can still see the look in her eyes as she took in those few breathes. I was sure she was too out of it to identify me, positive she wouldn't even remember seeing me crouched beside her. If only I'd known then just how stubborn she is I might have taken extra precautions. "Or that you would have actually gone through the trouble to track me down four years later."

"Takes a while to find someone by just looks alone." How she did that I still have no clue. No matter how many times I ask her she still refuses to tell me. 

"You managed it well enough." Crazy girl, shows up at my dorm telling me she knows who I am and don't even think of denying it. 

"Had to thank you didn't I?" Thank me, right. Nearly gave me a heart attack, standing there looking like a woman on a mission to kill me. For all I knew that was exactly why she was there. 

Leaning back along the couch and dragging her with me, I'm pretty sure this is how we're going to wake up tomorrow, not that I mind. "Thought you were gonna kill me." 

"What and miss out on all this?" Oh look at that she can make jokes after all. 

"Hales…" Running my hand over her back and suddenly not in the mood to play anymore, I change my mind on my next statement. "Don't die okay." 

"I won't if you won't."

"Deal." And I really hope it's a deal I can keep. "Now about this monkey situation…"

The End


End file.
